Not Wholly Original, But Completely Masterful.

Rating: 10/10 (27 March 2018)

Pacific Rim (2013).

Chipper F. Xavier, Esq.

In the year 2013, giant alien monsters break through the earth's crust to threaten our civilization. Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) joins an elite corps of fighters gathered from around the globe to combat the menace. But will the strength, cooperation and scientific genius of all mankind be enough to triumph over this monstrous invasion?
Oscar Award-winning Director-writer Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Hellboy Series, The Blade Series) teams up with writer Travis Beacham to deliver a surprisingly successful mix of humor, spectacle, nostalgia and action in this underrated classic. Del Toro's fantasy of gigantic robots and terrifying monsters does not require mass acceptance and universal acclaim -
in fact, his derivative opus is so well executed that it transcends its intended genre of science fiction and approaches the canon of high cinematic art. From well-written screenplay to rich thespian talent to mind-bogglingly realistic CGI effects, Pacific Rim goes well-beyond anything previously achieved with regard to the monster-movie genre.
Hunnam is perfectly cast as the anti-hero Raleigh, a man who would rather be doing anything than taking orders, but proves to be a powerful warrior when challenged. Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost is perfectly cast as an unmovable foil to Raleigh's hot-headed ambitions, while Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori provides a romantic interest which strikes a balance between the two
powerful characters.
Monster movies have come a long way since Godzilla (1954), but the genre persists partly because of our child-like fascination with size and our fear of the unknown. Pacific Rim takes the genre further than ever before imagined by making its monsters bigger, more powerful and more intelligent, all while raising the production value of the movie to incredible standards, melding together talent, craft and skill to create a movie unlike any monster film before it.
Special effects, talent and cinematography notwithstanding, writer-director Guillermo del Toro has masterfully delivered a must-see monster-movie-event in Pacific Rim (2013), and as many movie goers have come to find out, the best is yet to come.